Cricket killed by commerce
11 Oct 2012 2:30 AM IST
If the allegations that umpires were willing to fix international cricket matches is true then it is indeed a sad day for cricket. A television channel has shown how six umpires from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka agreed to fix matches by helping some players in the Sri Lankan Premier League through decisions, as well as providing pitch and team information, for a consideration, though no money was exchanged on camera. The umpires in question have denied ever having accepted the proposition to fix matches, and the tape made by the televison channel is still being studied. No doubt, the umpires must be given the benefit of doubt till an investigation proves their culpability. Even so, there have been other similar journalistic endeavours in the past in which umpires and players have been similarly caught agreeing to accept bribes to fix the outcome of matches. Match-fixing is a devient tendency that has crept into the game in recent years though it may have occasionally surfaced earlier. It is not at all healthy for the game of cricket, which has time-honoured traditions of sportsmanship and fairplay. Cricket has been played since the days of its origins in a spirit of healthy rivalry and teams are brought together to compete, in accordance with the rules, so that the best team wins. To deviate from the rules is not just unsporting, it is underhand, devious and unacceptable. The acceptance of bribes to throw a game, demonstrates a fall in the character of those who are involved in the game.
That this is happening is indicative of the immense pressures that have begun to impinge on the game. It is no longer played in a friendly spirit purely for the enjoyment of an outdoor activity. It has now become a commercial activity. There are huge stakes involved in games, as are gigantic advertising revenues and television TRP ratings. The result of a match, therefore, is no longer merely a sporting headline but has the power to sway the fortunes of those who lurk on the sidelines. These people, akin to gamblers, may have no real interest in sports but are, nevertheless, interested in them purely for the monetary and other benefits that accrue to them. In our contemporary world, the players, or even the umpires, are no longer the heros in control of the arena. They have been reduced to being mere gladiators whose strings are pulled from elsewhere. The phenomenon can be seen in the T20 games played in India, where teams are ‘owned’ by ‘owners’ who have extraordinary control over the players and the captains. Till cricket, and other sports, are freed from an excessive commercialisation, and the pure sporting activity is again given primacy, it will continue to be on sale despite any number of journalistic investigations.
That this is happening is indicative of the immense pressures that have begun to impinge on the game. It is no longer played in a friendly spirit purely for the enjoyment of an outdoor activity. It has now become a commercial activity. There are huge stakes involved in games, as are gigantic advertising revenues and television TRP ratings. The result of a match, therefore, is no longer merely a sporting headline but has the power to sway the fortunes of those who lurk on the sidelines. These people, akin to gamblers, may have no real interest in sports but are, nevertheless, interested in them purely for the monetary and other benefits that accrue to them. In our contemporary world, the players, or even the umpires, are no longer the heros in control of the arena. They have been reduced to being mere gladiators whose strings are pulled from elsewhere. The phenomenon can be seen in the T20 games played in India, where teams are ‘owned’ by ‘owners’ who have extraordinary control over the players and the captains. Till cricket, and other sports, are freed from an excessive commercialisation, and the pure sporting activity is again given primacy, it will continue to be on sale despite any number of journalistic investigations.
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